Dutch

I run Lowrance and my friend runs Birds. After lots of time in both boats my opinion is Lowrance 2d sonar is better than Birds but their down and side scans are better than Lowrance's.

Thanks guys. I've got a date with a spot that Powerdrive told me about. It was too windy to really fish it last time out. After 3 fish I got tired of the wind and moved on. I'll probably launch at Hartley as I used to get some good winter eyes inside it.

Anyone been to any of these places lately? I'm wanting to drown some spoons on Friday if there is open water and ramp access. Appreciate any info.

The best way I have come across for finding cover and or fish it to drive by an area using 2d, down, and side scans and recording as I go. Then I pull off into open water and play the recording showing 2d, down, side, and chart. When I see something that I want to fish I mark it with a wpt.

I guess mine may be the exception then. I have been using Lowrance units for over 20 years. I use them till I want a new one then sell them and buy more. I've never had one quit working on me and friends who have bought mine are still using them.

You can get way more 10# than you will ever need. I am one of those over the top OCD guys. I like all of my reels to look, act, and feel the same. For that reason I stick with one brand. I also like all of my reels of a particular type to be filled exactly the same. I don't count yardage on line I count handle revolutions (spool wraps). Using 10# mono on my 2500s I do 100 handle revolutions for a fill. I don't know how much line a revolution is but it is way more that I could cast off a tall building.

I have some St. Croix Avids paired up with Shimano Symmetry and Stradic reels. Both are the 2500 size. They hold as much line as I'll ever need to have on a reel. Some spools have 10# mono and others have 30# braid. Either option works well for me. I tried fluorocarbon but my reels did not like that stiff line.

How was the fishing?

I tend to do the above freezing unless I am on a good pattern. I went once at -5°. That was a big mistake. I nearly caught my Ranger on fire trying to thaw out the steering.

I've heard of weed beds on Stockton but I've never seen any.

Leaving a trailer is always a good idea griz. The battery to the unit is always the best way to go.

All of the ramps should be open. As far as steep goes most of them are about the same. Hartley may be less steep. It is in the middle of the Big Sac arm.

My hat is off to you. I'm not that tough any more. I'll be lucky if I can get away from the fire long enough to get a load of wood tomorrow. Good luck. Catch a bunch.

Those units don't draw much juice. Just be sure to install the inline fuse.

You need to have it powered from the cranking battery not a trolling motor battery. Be sure to install the inline fuse. Direct wiring to the cranking battery is always the best way to go if possible. Even if you have it connected to a switch on the boat always power it down with its own button so you won't corrupt the software.

That sounds like the same calibration as the Lowrance Point 1 antenna. If you have the option setting the map to north up is supposed to be the best way to get accurate calibration.

How long do they work before needing a recharge?

I took it to Table Rock this am and had it on the water for a couple of hours. There was a little water coming in from some place along the transom. I couldn't see anything with a light and mirror just the floor of the bilge getting a bit wet. I ran it and stopped it a few times but no increase in the water intake. I have a plate over the bilge with 2 batteries on it. I'm going to pull that all out and silicone everything that leads to the outside. Surely I'll blind sow it one way or another.

I doubt it as the plug hasn't been out since the first day I bought the boat a year ago July.

Maybe I just set the hook too hard on them. I went through a series of hook straightenings on Bull a few years ago. I finally found a gammy 2/0 that would hold. It is so hard for me not to swing to the rafters when something hits so hard.

wrench I have a built in metal drain plug. It did not leak even a drop when I filled the bilge with water. The first thing I did was feel the rub rail seal for any gaps in the silicone. I'll have to check the mounting bolts after I go to the lake next time as I have dried everything out with a fan so I can possibly get an early detection of leaks. Funny thing is I have had this boat only 18 months and probably been on the water close to 100 days and not one drop of water in the bilge before.

Yesterday I found quite a bit of water in the bilge when I finished fishing. Probably at least 20 gallons. I had both live wells open but did not run the fill pumps or aerators. So they didn't fill more than half way up. I have checked the fittings and the hoses, filled the live wells and checked for leaks, checked the live well over flow tubes, filled the bilge and looked for transom fitting leaks, gone all the way around looking for any problem with the cap, crawled under it looked for hull damage. It was pretty windy yesterday and I was in the wind all day long. My back end of the boat sets pretty low and I'm wondering if water could have come in through the bilge drain holes. I'd like to attend to this before I go back to the water but I am at a loss as to what to do next.

Did you have any trouble with the hooks getting straightened out on the hook set?

They weren't as deep as I figured and weren't as plentiful as I had hoped. I fished from Mutton Creek to the dam. Most main lake points were too windy to do a good job on. I have a 36v tmotor and had to run it on 4 and 5 and the prop kept popping out of the water. I did catch a few whites and crappie on the main lake but most fish were around secondary points where boat control was better. I fished from 25-50' deep. The fish were from 30 to 38' deep with most being around 35'. The only bait I could get bit on was a home made jigging spoon. I finished up with 2 walleye, 3 whites and 6 crappie.

Some good looking fish there sir. Those things love the A rig don't they.